Bottles are commonly used to store, carry, and dispense a wide variety of liquids. The consumer beverage market represents one area in which an extensive number of beverages, such as carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, are produced and sold in bottles annually. Amongst other types of bottles, blow molded plastic bottles are frequently used for such beverages as they are cost effective to manufacture and provide a reliable and healthy method of distributing such products. Furthermore, blow molded plastic bottles may be produced in a wide variety of shapes and sizes
Although such blow molded bottles are well adapted to store liquids, they do suffer deficiencies. For example, these bottles often must be carried by a user grasping the main portion of the bottle with his or her entire hand as the narrow lips or flanges near the opening of the bottle do not provide an adequate gripping area. Because a user must use their entire hand to carry the bottle, it is more difficult to carry additional items, such as keys, a checkbook, or a lunch box, in the same hand. Furthermore, as consumer beverages are often served cold, the bottles may be coated with condensation, making it even more difficult to maintain a firm grasp on the bottle. In addition, the walls of such bottles are typically thin and, therefore, often collapse if grasped too firmly.
A further difficulty related to such bottles is that it is frequently difficult to pour the liquid contents out of the bottle. Specifically, if a user grasps the bottle in the middle, when the bottle is tipped into a horizontal position the liquid may rush from one end of the bottle to the other and cause an unbalancing wave effect within the bottle. This in turn may cause the liquid to unevenly spurt from the bottle.
It is known to include handles on bottles in an attempt to overcome some of the above referenced deficiencies. However, most of the common shapes for beverage containers leave limited room to include blow molded handles of sufficient strength and shape to carry the bottles. Furthermore, special molds are required to form the handle and it is more difficult to integrally blow mold such handles on bottles, which results in a higher risk that the container will rupture after having been shipped from the bottling plant.
Notwithstanding the above discussed difficulties, it must be noted that the consumer beverage market is a large and competitive market comprising largely similar goods offered by competing bottlers. As such, bottlers seek to differentiate their goods in order to increase their sales.
Therefore, a device is needed that enables a liquid container, such as a beverage bottle, to be more easily carried, enables the liquid to be more easily poured from the bottle, and helps to differentiate the container from those of competitors.